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2020 Tokyo Olympic torches to be made of recycled aluminum

Aluminum recycled from temporary housing in Fukushima, which was devastated by an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011, will be used to create the torches for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Scheduled for July 24 to August 9, 2020, the Games are being touted with a theme of "requiem and rebirth," according to chief executive creative director Nomura Mansai who aims to portray Japan's recovery from disaster to a global audience.

Recycled aluminum fits nicely within that theme of reconstruction. More than 10,000 pieces of aluminum will be needed for the torches used by runners in the nationwide relay after the Olympic flame arrives in Japan from Greece. The "flame of reconstruction" first will be displayed in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures, the three most affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated a large part of northeastern Japan.

The design of the torch, which has already been approved by the International Olympic Committee, will be announced in the spring.